Although it is legal in some states for minors to drink alcohol at private parties with permission from their parents, North Carolina is not one of those states. Officials with the state Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement said any adult who allows a minor to consume alcohol or reasonably should have known that underage drinking was occurring in their home can be criminally charged for misdemeanor aiding and abetting. Click HERE for more on this story.

An old trend among teens and college students has resurfaced: using cough syrup to get high. In addition to Skittles or Triple-C, teenagers are calling the drug Tussin, Robotripping, and Dex. But essentially, it is simply over-the-counter cough syrup, often mixed with soda or other drugs such as marijuana. Abusers are after the active ingredient in regular over-the-counter cough syrup, dextromethorphan, or DXM. DXM is a dissociative anesthetic, meaning it can cause “out-of-body” side effects that include hallucinations. Taking a high dose of DXM can produce similar effects as the drug PCP. Local drug programs are starting to focus on cough…

The North Carolina Alcohol and Beverage Commission is set to launch a new campaign today that focuses on underage drinking in North Carolina. The campaign will target kids as young as eleven. Click HERE for more on this story

Although drinking during pregnancy has long been considered taboo, new research suggests that as many as one in 20 U.S. children may have health or behavioral problems related to alcohol exposure before birth. “Knowing not to drink during pregnancy and not doing so are two different things,” especially before a woman knows she is pregnant, said lead researcher Philip May, a professor of public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He said the high prevalence of children affected by drinking during pregnancy may be due to social pressures or women’s difficulty in changing their drinking habits. Findings…

The North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, a branch of the State Bureau of Investigation, will hold a Be A Responsible Seller, or BARS, training event for local Alcoholic Beverage Control-licensed businesses August 28th, 2014. The event will be hosted by the Chapel Hill Police Department. The program is free for ABC-licensed businesses. Law enforcement officers will educate bar staff on alcohol regulations. The Chapel Hill class typically focuses on dealing with fake identifications, selling to already intoxicated customers, general laws and regulations and the sale of alcohol to underage bargoers. Click HERE for more information on this story. …